This publication explores how sexual violence is portrayed in the news and considers the implications of these portrayals for prevention advocates and journalists interested in discussing not just the details of sexual violence, but also how to end it. The findings lay the foundation for ongoing work to define more effective messages about sexual violence that can support prevention policies.

This work is part of a multi-year collaboration between the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Berkeley Media Studies Group.

The serial perpetration hypothesis — which suggests that a small number of men perpetrate the vast majority of rapes, and that these men perpetrate multiple rapes over time — has played an important role in the field of rape prevention as a model of sexual violence, especially raising awareness of rapists who have not been identified by the criminal justice system. A 2015 study published in JAMA Pediatrics, A Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption, raises questions about the serial perpetrator hypothesis.

Although it is clear that a subset of perpetrators do commit multiple acts of rape over time, the research suggests that most perpetrators do not chronically offend over time. Instead, perpetrators are much more heterogeneous in terms of their risk factors, methods of coercion, and pattern of offending over time.

Sexual violence can result in many health, economic, and social struggles in the lives of survivors. This resource highlights findings from a 2015 study on sexual violence against Latina women. Findings can help strengthen our prevention and response strategies with Latin@ communities. InSpanish.

These slides were created to support the June 2015 Online xCHANGE Forum: Sexual violence in the lives of African American Women. This forum will explore current research on the sexual victimization of African American women and future needs for the field.

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This site is supported by Grant/ Cooperative Agreement No. 1UF2CE002359-04 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.